


Getting to Know Your Grandmaster 101

by tempusthoughts



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Grandmaster Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan Has Tattoos, beacuse i can do what i want, ice cream and blankets can solve anything, lineage feels, the council do care
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:55:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25077994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tempusthoughts/pseuds/tempusthoughts
Summary: Once she had come to this realisation she set herself a mission, if you will. If Master Kenobi was so integral to Anakin's life, she would have to get to know him better.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 16
Kudos: 187





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, first work, please give feedback :)
> 
> I just love the idea of Ahsoka and Obi-Wan's friendship (and Anakin finally realising Obi-Wan's not a stick in the mud)
> 
> Will be more chapters, just not quite yet

When Ahsoka Tano became the padawan of the legendary “Chosen One” (with capitals), she had no idea what to expect. 

This was the rebel, the star pilot, and now general of the GAR - how was she supposed to live up to that?

But, the problem with putting someone on a pedestal is that as you get to know them, you come to realise they are just as human as everyone else. (How powerful can a person seem after you've seen them get tangled in their blankets and fall out of bed at 0400?)

She also did not realise how essential Master Kenobi would be to her training. After a few days of watching the pair in action it all made sense. Even a blind man could tell Master Obi-Wan and here Master were joined at the hip. Between the near-constant banter and familiarity between the two, even after months apart, she realised it would be irrational to think, even for a minute, that they be distanced after Anakin's knighting. It made her almost jealous, eager to have that easy rhythm with her own master, wondering if they would one day be able to fall into perfect sync, even in things like making tea. 

Once she had come to this realisation she set herself a mission, if you will. If Master Kenobi was so integral to Anakin's life she would have to get to know him better. 

That was how it started, anyway. But as Anakin became more familiar with her he would spend less and less time on Coruscant actually in the temple (let’s just pretend we don’t all know where he’s going. In turn, Ahsoka spent more and more time with Master Kenobi. 

Bit by bit she became more and more familiar with another man she put on a pedestal, and the more she realised most people had him wrong, and almost made her laugh to think she had fallen for the poised councillor facade. 

Most of this discovering centred on one period of time in particular. Both the 212th and the 501st had a four - week sojourn on Coruscant. This was all well and good, nothing too out of the ordinary. That was, until Anakin was asked on a solo mission approximated to take roughly two - three weeks while she “caught up on her studies”. 

And as much as she admired Master Kenobi, three weeks of encouragement to do her schoolwork from her Grandmaster (who was a bit of a stick in the mud) didn’t sound like her perfect idea of fun. At least she could complain to Anakin.


	2. Tattoos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding out her grandmaster has tattoos was not what Ahsoka had planned for her Saturday

Since they were very rarely at the temple, what with the intergalactic war and all, (you know, that little thing) there had been no time to organise another apartment for ahsoka and anakin. Instead, they had just made use of the guest room in Obi-Wan and Anakin's original quarters for Ahsoka.

The morning after Anakin left was a Saturday. 

All kinds of things can happen on Saturdays, but particularly in the Jedi temple, Saturday is a lazy day. 

The buzz of the city and mid-morning sun greeted the young togrutas mind as she slipped out of the haze of unconsciousness and relished in the warmth of her back and knowing she had no lessons to be rushing to and no battle to plan. No need to watch her back or be constantly aware. She could almost forget about the war. Almost. 

She made her way out to the lounge room still in her sleep tunics, assuming her Grandmaster would be long gone, busy with something or another. Besides, he was a councillor. Counselors don’t have lazy days. 

Not for the first time, she was wrong. 

Contrary to popular opinion, and as Padawan Tano was about to find out, Obi-Wan was not a morning person at all. He understood the necessity of it but if given the choice would stay up late thinking or reading and wake up slowly, when the sun was well and truly in the sky. 

So you can imagine it was quite the shock for young Ahsoka, part way into her third episode of a holo-show she’d gotten hooked on and eating cereal, seeing her grandmaster come out of his room into the living room. And looking so disheveled (was he slouching?). His usually well kept hair was a fluffy mess, to be honest, there was sleep in his eyes, a blanket wrapped around his torso, no shirt, and despite having sat at the armchair perpendicular to the very lounge Ahsoka was occupying, had not yet seemed to notice her presence. 

Her brain seemed to short circuit. 

“No way”

Her shock wouldn’t have been a problem, that is, if she hadn’t verbalized it. 

The words initially elicited very little response from the red head currently curled up in the armchair like some sort of tooka. Eventually he broke from his daze with no shortage of grogginess to (finally) address her. 

“Ahsoka! Sorry, I’m still waking up, I forgot you were here. Would you like some breakfast”

He was halfway up to go make himself something when he seemed to notice he didn't have a shirt on and panicked. 

But it was far too late for that. The padawan may have many faults but obliviousness is not one of them. She’d already seen the ink that wrapped around her grandmaster's arm, she had already seen artworks on his back. A back riddled with battle scars and drawings testament to a life lived, suffering survived. A bigger story than that of a straight - A student and perfect Jedi. A story she now burnt with curiosity to know. 

The most obvious of them was the words, in a language she didn’t know, that curled around his arms starting at the wrist almost reaching his shoulder. 

He looked so sad, as she (not very subtly) stared at his arm, not just panicked, but, a deep misery the spoke of mirth and grief in blue grey orbs, and tugged at her heartstrings without even knowing the cause. An ocean of torment, but in that moment, she decided he would never have to suffer alone again, he would never drown. 

“I’m just going to, uh, going to get a shirt, sorry about that” He managed to spit out, rubbing at one of the words with his thumb, hands folded across his chest as though he had a robe on. But instead of a peaceful stance, all she saw was anxiety, a well hidden fidget, with a robe, without it, it was nothing more than what it truly was. But what was the word he traced with his finger, what made such bright eyes turn so sad. What made the force roll around her seemed as though even it was trying to comfort the man.


	3. Ice Cream and Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally have a chat, and ice cream solves everything. 
> 
> Thank you for all comments and kudos, this is my first work :)) 
> 
> Please let me know about any mistakes, my proofreading skills are average on a good day. 
> 
> Enjoyy

The incident went unmentioned, brushed off and avoided at every turn, and every query deflected and the rest of the day came and went with both of them off on their own business. 

The night was cold and had a chill in the air, not just cold, but-chill-you-to-the-bone kind of cold. The kind that spikes irrational fear in the dark whilst you wait for sleep to overcome the thoughts that fly around your mind and defy every validity you had established. 

To say the least, it was not a good night.

At least, not for the first part. 

The nightmare was of fire and darkness, of pain strong enough to blow away the breath from her lungs and leave an aching sense of loss that innately terrified her without having been dealt a single blow. The kind of grief that brings you to your knees, turns emotional pain to something you can feel, the kind of grief that wraps its claws around your heart and smirks, as it tightens its grip, leaving you as nothing more than a shell of who you once were. 

She’d never felt anything like it.  
She woke up to the sound of her own racing heart and the suffocating loneliness that comes in the silence that a night brings to an empty room. 

Despite all her years of training she couldn't release her emotion and it spilt out of her as she finally let the tears fall. Grieving for loss she hadn't felt yet and out of anxiety for a dark future. 

The young padawan immediately felt foolish and humiliated upon the warm presence of her grandmaster drawing nearer. His shields unusually low, she allowed her mind to bask rays of the natural warmth that radiated from her grandmaster. 

Resigning herself to a sleepless night, she went down to the kitchens, assuming Obi-Wan would have gone back to sleep.

That's the problem with assumptions. 

They're usually wrong.

Obi-Wan Kenobi had given up hope for a decent night's sleep the fourth time he woke up. He decided to turn to the universal solution to any problem: Tea. 

He knew Ahsoka would be asking questions about the incident the other morning, he didn't blame her. But, he had never spoken about the tattoo, not without withdrawing into himself, or afterstupid amounts of alcohol. Sometimes, ignorance is just easier. 

He wasn’t expecting to see her in the second hour of a night that apparently refused to let the both of the sleep. 

Her wide eyes meeting him told him all he needed to know. She didn’t think he’d be here. She made to leave, but the thick silence and tension since the incident would have to be resolved at some point. 

“Sit”

“Are you sure, cause, i didn't mean to disturb you i just-”

“Sit.”

After a few seconds of awkward silence the two finally faced the issues at hand. 

“So…”

“So…”

“You probably have questions, don’t you, about the other day. We may as well get over this”

She couldn't believe it, he was just going to, give in? Just let her ask? Oh, well - don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. 

“The tattoos, the ones on your arms. What are they?” 

Her grandmaster let out a small sad laugh, as though he had resigned himself to the weight of the world making itself at home on his shoulders. As though he was facing a terrible fate. But in a way he was. He was facing something everyone fears. 

Vulnerability. 

“They’re names.”

“Names?” She was expecting something like the Jedi Code on his arms or, i dunno the law or something?

“Yes, padawan, I’m glad your ears still work” Ah yes, the old method of assuming an authoritative position to hide from the inevitable spotlight of vulnerability. 

“Hey!” But it got a laugh from the two.

“Who’s names?”

“The names of the people I’ve lost, from missions, battles. Of troopers, jedi, friends”

His voice breaks, and the facade slips, it shows the overwhelming grief Kenobi tries so hard to ignore, fights to remain calm. 

“..family”

Ahsoka is lost frozen under the weight of the confession, the rare glimpse into the life of her Grandmaster. Unaware of how to respond, knowing he will never except pity, she asks another question, as her respect for her Grandmaster somehow grows more. 

“ What language? Are the tattoos in, I mean”

“The language of the planet on which I was born, Stewjon. It brings a part of my heritage with me. Now, to the important questions, why are you up at this hour, little one.”

Suddenly embarrassed, she avoids his gaze, tensing her shoulders. 

“I, uh..” Resignation. “Nightmare”

“Oh” It's said somehow parental, loving, with a tilted head and a nod. He rises,

“Lucky for you, I know the best solution for nightmares”  
Her confusion must have been audible in the force, if anything could be told by the little chuckle it earnt from the red head. 

“Come on” The amused Jedi master said, taking her hand and curling up on the lounge reminiscent of the way he had the day before. 

Pulling out two tubs and spoons and turning on some sitcom, he wrapped a blanket around them, and let a tension she had forgotten wasn't meant to be there, fall from his figure.

“Distraction and food, particularly ice cream, personal preference, are the best way to recover from a nightmare”

The young togruta smiled to herself, making herself comfortable and allowing her mind to be distracted. She let here peace seep into the force, in way of thanks

“Does Anakin know about the tattoos?”

“No” 

The short word in itself holds a million more in its solemn tone, of regret, and wariness, and a request: don’t tell him. 

But she is still left confused, why? Did he not trust him, was he afraid to open up? If so, why had he for her? But then she had another revelation. Why had Master Obi-Wan been up in the middle of the night himself? 

So she lent into her grandmaster shoulder, content and comfortable, having realised that her grandmaster was more real, in a way, than she had believed. That like the night stars, you just need to come closer to see their complexity. 

So it was with that thought she slipped into a peaceful sleep, a blanket thrown around her and her grandmaster curled up next to her with a tub ice cream. 

Maybe they had both needed this. 

And if they woke up still on the lounge, the sitcom softly playing, then neither were complaining.

It was the best sleep either of them had in weeks.


	4. Tooka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Windu comes for a visit.  
> In the morning.  
> Enter: domestic getting ready scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for your support, enjoy :)

Two days after the conversation, it was almost impossible not to see the change in the relationship between the Grandmaster and Grand-padawan. Their interactions were lighter, more comfortable, they finally seemed to have figured the other out a little better. 

Even other masters noticed it, hearrrd their bond singing in the force around them as the two found their dynamic. 

One master in particular, who believed he could no longer be any more exasperated by Yoda’s lineage, was about to proven wrong, by two in question. 

Mace Windu was glad to see Obi-Wan take on a more comfortable role in Ahsoka’s learning, and he wanted to see the difference himself. Did they truly move on from their formal, distant professional relationship to a snarky, family- esque one in just three days?

And of course, he had issues to discuss with Kenobi regarding the war. At least, that’s the official reason he was there. 

Surely not.

But yet his eyes provided evidence, (but nothing prepared him for) the domestic scene he walked into upon visiting the Kenobi-Skywalkwer quarters. 

At first, all seemed normal. But first appearances are deceiving. 

It was after opening the door and sweeping his eyes for its inhabitants that he began to notice things out of place. 

Number one, were was Kenobi? He always greeted people as they came in. Yet, he was nowhere to be seen. 

Then he saw Ahsoka, obviously not long out of bed, clearly shocked the presence of the head of the order in her quarters. Her eyes widened and she dropped into a respectful bow. 

“Master Windu”

“Padawan Tano. Where is your Grandmaster? I have something to discuss with him”

“One moment, and I'll find him, Master” She said before turning, seemingly forgetting her previous formal demeanour in favour of hollering out “MASTER!”

A disgruntled “What?” was the only reply from down the hall. 

“MASTER WINDU’S HERE”

“WELL LET HIM IN”

“I DID”

“YOU, wait, what?” 

A figure mades its well down the hall and Windu broke the record for highest eyebrow lift at his appearance, and probably strained a muscle. Kenobi's appearance was beyond disgruntled. Daggy sleep tee, revealing... are those tattoos? A toothbrush in his mouth, and simultaneously writing on a data pad, Kenobi couldn't have looked any further from the composed Jedi master at yesterdays diplomatic mission. 

“Oh.” Understatement of the year.

He bowed deeply, seemingly composing himself, as much as one can in such a state. 

“Master Windu, would you like a cup of tea?”

Of course. 

Kenobi would offer tea to a Sith Lord if given the chance, a diplomatic distraction from his current state. 

“Thats sounds lovely”

“Please, make yourself comfortable. I’m afraid ‘Soka and I cannot be the most attentive of hosts at present, we both have things to get to - if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, my friend. No need to be so formal, pretend I’m not even here. I simply have some thing to discuss when you have the time.”

“Thank you Windu, I’m afraid we’re both running rather late” Yet somehow, the crisp, posh accent made it sound proper to be running late, rather than an admission of laziness or disorganisation. 

Light streamed into the quarters through the open blinds of the main room setting blonde-red hair aflame as Kenobi put the kettle on to boil. 

He quickly disappeared to the main hallway and the following minutes gave the Head of the order insight in to a scene that could definitely satisfy the bets he had made. (No, what bets I have no idea what you are taking about)

“I had a textbook out here” The muttering marked the entrance if the torgruta, with a creased brow.

“Third draw” Came the response from Kenobi, who had appeared out of nowhere, cereal box in hand and was heaping and sickly amount of sugar into his caf and drinking it in one go. Explains a bit. 

“Tea?”

“Black, two sugars please” If they were gonna move around him he may as well just observe in awe. 

“Grandmaster?”

“Yes little one” That earns him a scowl. 

“Not little” she mummers and her breath “Can you give help with my revolutionary leaders of the middle rim essay, it seems like the kind of thing you would have been good at.”

“Probably not, I didn’t pass”

“You what? You know what, I shouldn’t be shocked any more”

“Probably not”

“Rhetorical question” Huffed the teenager, as she began pacing, accepting the bowl passed to her with a nod of the head, and making her way to the table. “That doesn’t help though, bloody tooka"

That certainly got the intended reaction. If looks could kill the Padawan would be six feet under. 

Scratch that. 

Twelve. 

So, high councillor Mace Windu, did the entirely mature, responsible, professional thing to do. 

“Tooka?” (There was definitely no giggling involved, tough, Jedi masters don’t giggle)

Now, he had no way of telling the thoughts passing through their bond, but he wasn’t stupid. He was quite good at reading facial expressions. 

As far as he could tell, it went something like this:

How DARE you!

Sucked in, you embarrass me, I embarrass you

My revenge will be sweet

But who could know for sure?

“Um, irrelevant, unimportant, What was it you were here to discuss” Kenobi tripping over his words, this must be good. 

****

2 days earlier.

The sun rose, the birds sung, everything was doing what it should be doing in the morning. Everything except of course, Ahsoka and Master Obi-Wan, that would be outrageous. No, instead, Obi-Wan had decided that he - in his morning zombie state - was not really vital to that morning’s council meeting, and would be much more productive unconscious. 

This, of course, became problematic after discovering (in a clearer state of mind) that the Archivist, and scariest person in the temple, had been presenting information in relation to the war at the meeting in question and was not particularly happy about him missing it. 

Ahsoka had just come back from a geography class (nap time) and was not expecting to find the temple's resident scary lady standing in her kitchen. 

“Ma’m?”

“Ah, Padawan Tano ” Each syllable is perfectly pronounced, with the most polite, disgusted tone that sent a shiver down her spine, and the impression that she was about as important as gum on her shoe. “I’m just looking for Master Kenobi, you wouldn’t happen to know of his whereabouts, would you? I have some business to discuss with him.” 

“Um…” That was when she saw it, out the corner of her eye. 

Crap. 

In the Kenobi-Skywalker-Tano apartment kitchen, there was a series of cupboards, about the size of a cardboard box, above the kitchen bench, close to the ceiling, for cups and whatnot.  
Not, for Jedi Masters hiding from the Archivist. 

Her Grandmaster, having just entered the room, and currently out of Madame Nu’s line of vision decided the best course of action, was not to confront her, apologise and get this over and done with, that would be ridiculous. No, instead he somehow managed to squash himself into a cupboard and hide. 

And they say Anakin’s the irrational one. 

Popping his head out from the cupboard, fierce warrior High General Obi-Wan Kenobi made various frantic hand gestures with clenched teeth and shaking hands past his throat, mouthing what looked to be ‘not here’. 

Eyes widening a fraction she tried to hide her laughter, feeling the tell-tale water of her eyes and rapidly trying to come up with an excuse. Her lineage was going to be the death of her. 

“He’s gone...for a walk!” 

Yes, that’ll work. She vaguely wondered if Anakin had ever had to cover for Master Obi-Wan? Probably.  
“Gone, for a walk?” Okay, so her excuse wasn't the best in the world, but, in for a penny in for a pound. 

“Yes, at least, that’s what I think he said, something about a survey, and…. Dex having information for him”

Something was muttered and the woman's breath, and with a quick dismissal, she was out the door. 

Ahsoka turned around to face her Grandmaster, any lingering ideas of a perfect - no nonsense Jedi master shattered by the man who was stuck in his kitchen cupboard. They made eye contact, blue on blue, and she broke. She laughed and laughed till her eyes watered, and at some point, it seemed, Obi-Wan had resigned himself to the ridiculousness of his situation, and joined in. 

Out of breath and doubled over she could only get out a “You look like a tooka! Curled up in some bloody box!” before once again, dissolving into giggles. 

With a sigh, and a few more fits of giggles, they got Obi-Wan down.

Madame Nu’s anger was only postponed and Obi-Wan received a full lecture the next day. 

Ahsoka decided she would never let him live it down, and that tooka was now her new favourite nickname for her Grandmaster. 

***

Mace Windu may have left without the story, but if he called Master Kenobi a tooka once or twice during meeting, then that would just be a slip of words, nothing more.


End file.
